Cellular telephones (cell phones) are often carried in a state that allows the phone to alert its user when a call comes in. Various ring tones provide familiar signals used to render incoming call alerts. Some modern phones allow alternatives to ring tones, such as a selection of melodies and other music or sounds, humorous, inspirational and other vocals, and the like. (Such audible incoming call alarms may be referred to generally herein as a ring tone.)
Other signals may also alert cell phone users as to incoming calls. Some phones allow their users to select a tactile means, such as a vibrating element (e.g., an integrated vibrator) as an incoming call signal. Upon sensing an incoming call, the phone alerts the user with a gentle tactile signal such as a substantially silent buzz. Some phones further allow users to combine the buzz signal with a ring tone.
Further, some phones provide visual indication signals, such as a light emitting diode (LED) emitting visibly and/or a viewable display lighting up. These visual indicators may signal the user substantially simultaneously with the ring tones and with the buzz signals.
Besides alerting the user to incoming calls, some cell phone displays may provide designated information relating to an incoming call as well. For instance, the telephone number from which the incoming call originates may be displayed. User programmed information related to the telephone number can also be displayed, such as a caller's name or pictures. Such pictures may be stored on the phone in ‘JPEG’ and other graphical formats, for example.
In as much as cell phones are taken by their users to all manner of places and settings, there are times and situations where ring tones may not be the best available signal. For instance, cell phones are often taken into auditoriums, classrooms, libraries and lecture halls, concert halls, opera houses, movie theaters and other performing arts centers, court rooms, houses of worship and contemplation, meetings and other places, times and/or situations that call for silence, civility and order, decorum, ceremony, observation, consideration and appreciation, etc. and the like.
In such circumstances, ring tones can be disturbing. The sounding of ring tones in such inappropriate circumstances can be destructive to the ambiance thereof. The disturbance ring tones then produce can be annoying, embarrassing and harmful. Thus, cell phones typically allow their users to silence ring tones. Some phones have an externally or quickly accessible button that can be pressed to stop a ring tone as it is sounding.
Further, many phones allow a user to configure the controls of the phone to suppress, e.g., temporarily, its ring tone capability. Thus, when entering an environment or situation wherein a ring tone sounding would be inappropriate or otherwise undesirable, users can retrieve their phone and configure it so as to prevent its ring tone from sounding and, upon exiting, reconfigure their phone to its ring tone capable state.
However, the capability of users to suppress their ring tones is not always exercised when it may be appropriate to do so. For instance, users may not be aware that they are entering a place, time, circumstance or situation where actively audible ring tone use is inappropriate. It may be that no warning as to the ring tone undesirability was given. Or perhaps the user is distracted and misses such a warning, such as a posted sign, if given. Moreover, situations and circumstances can and do change over time.
For instance, during an intermission in a lecture or performance, if a user reactivates their ring tone, they may subsequently forget to suppress it again. Thus, while configured appropriately for the duration of the intermission, upon resumption of the performance, the situational propriety of the ring tone sounding changes again, and the phone has then become inappropriately configured. Besides ring tones, other configurable characteristics of the phone are changeable as to appropriateness, favorability or other conditions over time, place, situations and circumstance.